Well, whatever about the Answer’s take on training, there should be no question about whether Houston 1836′s training camp is, at least, long enough. That’s two months worth of training.

This is the kind of rigorous regimen Lance Armstrong might advocate when preparing for those humongous climbs in the Alps.

Two months of training would also go a long way to preparing the average runner for say, a marathon.

So while Major League soccer might be cutting corners on salaries (some Premier League players earn more in a week than some MLS players do in a season), this league won’t settle for half-measures when it comes to training camp.

In fairness, MLS has a lot of time on its hands mostly because the league schedule is abbreviated compared to the typical European or other world leagues. For example, a Premier League team that competes in the Champions League, the F.A. Cup, etc., could end up playing as many as 60 matches in a year while averaging two or three matches a week during the busy stretches of the season.

However, don’t panic. The lack of matches for Major League Soccer players often benefits the U.S. national team because the players get to spend more time together on the national front compared to the likes of England, Germany, etc.

Two months is barely enough time for the MLS training camp if the league expects to continue to elevate the level of talent in the league. Granted, the US National team benefits, but only in that they get a fair assessment of players because they are not bruised and beaten during the season due to lack of games. However, it also allows the national team to quickly determine whether a MLS player belongs on the roster or not. In order for soccer to grow in this country, the talent in the indiginous league needs to elevate itself to that of some of the better leagues. To do that, 2 months of training is very little to ask…